Some workers had taken to feeding the animal and even petting it, said biologist Rick Sinnott of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. While there is some risk the young moose could starve, Sinnott said, the greater risk is in feeding the animal.

"It if gets aggressive, the only solution we have is to destroy the moose," he said.

Sinnott learned about the calf last week when a FedEx security guard called him, worried that someone might get hurt.

"Moose are more dangerous potentially than black bears," he said.

People fear bears instinctively but view moose differently, although they can kick their sharp hooves and kill people, he said.

"It's those big brown eyes and the long lashes, and they look so cute," he said.